Marine and Shipbuilders Local 506

10/05/2026

Happy World Teachers’ Day to the instructors and journeypersons who’ve taught us our trades. Thanks for answering the questions, showing us again, and having the patience to let us get the hang of it. We owe you!

09/30/2026

Today, we honour the children who never returned home, the survivors of residential schools, their families, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Wearing orange is a reminder that Every Child Matters and that reconciliation begins with listening, learning, remembering, and recognizing the lasting impacts of the residential school system.

We encourage our members to take time today to reflect, learn and honour those affected.

09/24/2026

At the kitchen table, childcare, legal, and money questions can pile up at the same time. FSEAP gives Local 506 members and their families free, confidential help around the clock. The program covers personal, family, and work-related concerns. Call 1.800.667.0993 or visit fseap.bc.ca for information or support.

09/21/2026

For a ship to leave harbour, terminal crews handle cargo, tug crews guide it clear, and shipyard hands keep it ready between calls. Mariner crews take it from there. During world maritime week, we celebrate all the people working together to keep vessels moving.

09/18/2026

The rates we pay reflect the skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions behind the work - regardless of the name on the cheque. Clear pay scales are one reason collective bargaining matters.

09/18/2026

Thanks to all the unions, labour organizations and workers who came out to the BC Ferries AGM this morning to ask the CEO to commit to working towards building our next ships here. (Spoiler: the answer was no.)

09/16/2026

Check out this article highlighting Local 506 Member Felix Yumul!

As seen in Vancouver is Awesome   After a decade in the shipbuilding industry, ship fitter Felix Yumul has seen more than four vessels built, launched and delivered at Vancouver Shipyards.  While every one of those ships, including the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel recently delivered to ...

09/16/2026

Make your voice heard at the BC Ferries AGM.
Let's show up, speak up, and make it clear: BC Ferries should be investing in BC Shipbuilding and BC Workers.
RSVP using the QR Code below!

09/15/2026

Five minutes of looking around can turn into an hour at the yard... If you know where the part is, who has the information, or how to get the next step moving, pass it along. What answer saves people time on your job?

09/11/2026

Marine and Shipbuilders CMAW Local 506 is a proud member of the Shipbuilding Coalition that has launched the Build Them Here campaign, calling on BC Ferries to build it's vessels in BC.

An Economic Benefits of Ferry Construction in BC report from the Centre for Future Work was commissioned by the coalition and is available for review on the BuildThemHere.ca website.

We're calling on our members and British Columbians to help support this initiative by following the "Take Action" link on the website to send a letter to David Eby, BC Ferries, and the Minister of Transportation and Transit in just a few clicks.

Some key highlights from the report are:

· Domestic construction of ships equivalent to the value of the four new ferries would contribute $1.5 billion in cumulative GDP to Canada’s economy over the construction period. 85% of that gain would be experienced in B.C. (pg.37)

· The construction and its spin-off activities would generate incremental employment of over 10,000 person-years of work, the vast majority in B.C. (pg.37)

· Domestic construction would generate $413 million in cumulative incremental revenue for the federal and provincial governments. (pg.37)

· The federal government estimates its shipbuilding contracts have contributed approximately $30 billion to Canada’s GDP since 2012, and created or maintained more than 20,400 jobs. (pg.16)

· There are 105 nations with cabotage rules, which account for 85% of countries with coastlines. (pg.25)

· China purchases virtually no ship or boat products from Canada. Canada’s total exports to China in this industry are less than $1 million per year; in 2025, Canada imported 380 times more ship and boat products from China than we sold to China. (pg.14)